We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers across the world to help us promote the Students Association and engage with our student community.
If you would like to help students connect with each other online or face-to-face and to build awareness of the Student Association, this role is for you!
You can opt for the online role, face-to-face role or both. In the online role, you will be facilitating and supporting online meet-ups or events for students on Microsoft Teams or Adobe Connect. In the face-to-face role, you will be facilitating face-to-face meet-ups or events for students in your local area.
The time commitment is flexible. You may like to host regular sessions, e.g. monthly or every other month, or just host a one-off session. It may also take you an hour or so to set up the session and promote it on various platforms. The online role can be undertaken entirely from home, while the face-to-face role will involve hosting events in your local area.
As a face-to-face host, you might like to meet up for a coffee in a local café, study together at a local library, or you could even hold a social event such as a quiz. As an online host, you might like to host sessions relating to what you are studying, your interests and hobbies, or a social event such as a quiz.
You will have access to the Association Volunteers ‘Slack’, an online volunteer community.
Essential for role:
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You must be a current member of the Students Association to apply (all registered OU students are automatically members according to our Articles of Association).
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It is important that volunteers respect our values by helping to create a sense of community and support wherever possible. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and our volunteers should reflect this in their role with us. Please see our Values and Behaviour Policy.
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All volunteers are expected to follow the volunteer policy and volunteer agreement given to them upon taking on a role with the Association.
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You must be able to complete the online training within 1 month of your welcome email if your application is successful:
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Online mandatory core training for volunteers
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Online self-study for your role, including online training recordings on hosting online events (should take up to 1 hour 15 minutes) and face-to-face events (should take up to 30 minutes)
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You will need to run one or more meet-up or event within the first 6 months of your role and provide feedback to the Student Community team following the sessions you run.
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You must have good communication skills, enjoy talking to other students and have a welcoming and inclusive attitude.
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You must be interested in becoming more involved in the OU Student Community.
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For face-to-face events, you must complete a safety tick list and follow guidance provided by the Student Community team.
To apply you must be a member of the Students Association to apply (all registered OU students are automatically members according to our Articles of Association).
Please be aware, as a volunteer, you will be expected to follow our volunteer policy and volunteer agreement. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and you are expected to reflect this in your volunteer role.
Applications close at midnight on Wednesday 23 October 2024.
Event and Meet-up Hosts will be selected from applications made through the oustudents.com website by relevant members of the Students Association staff team (Community and Volunteering). Applicants will be informed within two weeks of the closing date whether they have been successful or not.
If you have any queries or require the application form in an alternative format, please contact oustudents-volunteer@open.ac.uk.
Benefits to self
Develop your skills and experience in organising and hosting events.
Meet fellow OU students.
Feel a part of the student community.
Benefits to others
Make a difference for OU students, who may be feeling isolated or want to meet fellow students.
Organise events that OU students want to see, such as subject or hobby themed events.
Hours per week
Flexible – anywhere from 1 hour a week to 1 hour every couple of months depending on how many events
Training available
You must be able to complete the online training:
• Online mandatory core training for volunteers
• Online self-study for your role, including online training recordings on hosting online events
Location
Online Event and Meet-up Host - home. F2F Event and Meet-up Host – hold event(s) locally.